4 Keys to Making Shared Office Space Work for You

05.31.2017 |
Michael Moulton

The workplaces of today look far different from what we’re traditionally used to, thanks in large part to a shift in the theory of workplace management. This shift in thinking has turned offices into places where all departments have the opportunity to easily work with each other.

Whether you share office space with other teams within your company, or different companies entirely, planning to effectively manage shared office space is an important key to success.

Room Management Software

Without the advent of scheduling software, it’s nearly impossible to keep the for conference room schedule straight – or other work rooms – up-to-date. However, the right software can track and report conference room availability, and even provide real-time updates on hardware and software issues.

Those issues can be addressed as soon as they happen – automating the process of reporting hardware or software issues. This streamlined process obviously saves time, but it also cuts down on the time clients or other groups are waiting on conference room equipment.

Whether you’re a startup or a long-standing company in your industry, shared office space magic is much more likely to happen for you by implementing the right conference room management software.

Teem customer, BCG, has used Teem to create a unique work environment and maximize the use of private space as shared office space. The office largely utilizes an open workspace concept, but partners have dedicated offices for themselves.

A few things that make their arrangements unique are their office configurations. For example, every office has a conference room display, but when the partner is away from the space, the room reverts to open, bookable conference room space. This allows them to make the most of their space but still give partner access to dedicated office space.

Enhanced Building Security

Another issue facing communal offices is building security. From making sure that certain areas have proper checkpoints to protecting files on shared servers and building entry, it takes some thoughtful planning to have great security.

Smartphones, used in conjunction with facial recognition software, are the easiest solution for streamlining the security and access processes in any given office space. These two technologies can grant access to certain areas of the office, allow people in the building without a key fob or card (thanks to facial recognition software), and even secure files on shared servers.

Voice Control

The use cases for voice control aren’t always obvious, but once you implement this change to your shared office space, you’ll wonder how you worked without it for so long.

Its most practical – and cost-efficient – use is in adding voice control to meeting rooms.

Voice control in conference rooms presents the following immediate benefits:

Book rooms from another room

Check into meetings

Signal the beginning/end of meetings to give real-time room usage statistic to those looking to use the room next

Extend meetings and populate that extension on the shared meeting room dashboard

Signal the immediate availability of a given conference room

The key to creating all of these benefits lies in Teem’s tight integration with Alexa. Adding Amazon’s Echo in conference rooms provides business not only with the perks listed above but much more. Reporting hardware issues, managing your meeting spaces, and checking into meetings can all be quickly handled with voice controls, instead of pulling out your phone or a tablet.

Desk Beacons

A desk beacon provides real-time data that shows what rooms are empty and which ones are available. In addition, beacons can show you what specific meetings are being held in certain rooms.

So if you need a quiet room for a call with a client, or need to find a room for a last-minute project or a presentation, beacons can populate a dashboard with real-time usage to show you where an empty space is.

Sharing office spaces has its benefits – some of which are outrageously valuable to business ( the collaboration between departments is huge) – but it also presents a few operational and management problems. These four tips, though, can set you on the track to making your shared office space that much more effective.